The Psychiatric Trainees'
Committee

The Psychiatric Trainees’ Committee (PTC) is a
national community representing psychiatric trainees within the
United Kingdom. We believe passionately that through driving
improvements in the quality of training and through supporting and
valuing each other, we can improve the quality of care and the
lives of people with mental illness.

The PTC sends a representative to almost every
committee in the College and the trainee representatives do far
more than observe the workings of these committees, and take an
active role in influencing College policy. PTC representatives on
other committees are elected annually from within the PTC
membership.

The PTC is represented at the Academy of
Medical Royal Colleges via the Academy Trainee Doctors’ Group, and
at the BMA Junior Doctors’ Committee meetings. Representatives of
the PTC attend meetings of the European Federation of Psychiatric
Trainees and are involved in various working groups looking at
training issues across Europe.

Struggling to stay awake on-call? Concerned that you
won’t make it home safely?

Current demands within the NHS can be both
physically and mentally exhausting. We know that moderate sleep
deprivation can lead to impairments in cognitive and motor
performance equivalent to legally defined levels of alcohol
intoxication. We also appreciate that in psychiatry, where trainees
regularly drive whilst on-call during unsociable hours, this is a
significant concern.

We don’t want psychiatric trainees to suffer
the same fate as our anaesthetic colleagues where 57% of
trainees have reported having had an accident or a near-miss
driving home after a night shift. We also don’t want the
same concerns about the availability of breaks and rest facilities.
We want to understand and improve working conditions within
psychiatry and we need your help to do
this.

The
survey is designed to capture information that impacts on
your level of fatigue and which affects your wellbeing whilst
on-call. We will publish our findings in the summer and we’d be
very grateful if you could complete our survey before 5pm
Monday 5 March.

Welcome message from Dr Charlotte Blewett, PTC Chair
(2017-2018)

Thank you for taking the time to look up
Psychiatric Trainees’ Committee (PTC) webpages. Welcome! My name is
Charlotte Blewett and I’m the PTC Chair for 2017 – 2018.

The PTC is composed of pre and post membership
trainees from across the UK, and you will find a map showing who
and where we are
here.

Trainees are working in a complex and changing
climate for the NHS. The Royal College of Psychiatry takes the
opinions of it's trainees seriously. A PTC representative
contributes to virtually all College committees. We have an active
role influencing its work and policy, ensuring we represent trainee
views on a national level.

The PTC also conducts project work with the
central aim of improving training in psychiatry. In previous years
the PTC has conducted and contributed to a variety of projects
including:

Completing a national review into trainee
morale and training: Supported and Valued

Hosting PTC Conference: Return to Practice

Over the next 12 months the PTC has developed
projects focusing on recruitment and retention, engagement and
sustainability and fatigue whilst on call. However if you think
there is something we should be bringing to attention please let us
know.

Finally, please consider standing for election
and joining the PTC. Being a PTC representative gives you the
opportunity to make a real difference to psychiatry training. You
will also get to meet and work alongside enthusiastic and committed
trainees from across the country. For more information on elections
see
here.